British Tory MP seeks early referendum on EU membership
Right-winger wants poll on whether to quit EU held before next general election in 2015
British Prime Minister David Cameron is facing a challenge from one of his party's lawmakers to hold a referendum on EU membership in October 2014, three years earlier than currently planned.
Adam Afriyie, an outspoken member of Cameron's Conservative party, told the Mail on Sunday newspaper he would today launch a bid to force a parliamentary vote in coming weeks, which would then entail a referendum next year.
He said voters did not trust Cameron's pledge to win back some powers from Brussels and then put the new terms of Britain's membership of the European Union to the public in an in-out referendum by the end of 2017.
Cameron, who leads a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, is seeking a majority in the 2015 general election but faces pressure on the right from the anti-EU UK Independence Party.
Afriyie, a businessman who has been linked to speculation about a Conservative leadership bid in the past, wrote that it was in Britain's "national interest" to hold an early vote.
"In reality, the British people are unsure whether the Conservative leadership would be able to stick to its promise of holding a referendum after the election, especially if in coalition once again," he said.
"Only by setting an early date can we kick-start EU renegotiation talks and give the British people what they so clearly want - a say on our country's future with Europe."